The combination of unique stilt houses, a rich cultural setting and unspoiled village life sets Tai O fishing village apart from the pack. We haven’t been back for at least six years, so it's high time to revisit. Especially after the devastating rainstorm which has pushed various improvement works and new projects including the conversion of the Tai O Police Station to a heritage hotel which will be completed in December 2011 and a convenient ferry pier erected right next to the village.

Home to Tanka people, the community of fisherfolk's good can be seen in the streetside snack, dried seafood, reputable shrimp paste and salty fishes hung along old alleys.

What brought us there was a dolphin watch trip which set off from Tsim Sha Tsui. It took us about an hour to reach the north Lantau waters that inhabit pink dolphin as summer is their active season. Given the diversity of culture and cuisine, we spent our lunch and afternoon in Tai O. It’s typical itinerary for locals who want to make the most out of a day trip.

To my surprise, our junk no longer had to board at the pier near the Tai O Police Station but another pier right next to the bus terminus. At a quick glance, Tai O Market’s hardware didn’t change much but the variety of food grown exponentially. We strolled along small alleys and crossed to the other side of the river to Kat Hing Hau Street where is away from the crowd.

Spoiled with choices, we did an early lunch at one of the local "Cha Chan Tan" called Wing Sang Café. It's a local family-run outlet with about 50 seats offering ordinary noodles. Apart from typical beef and egg, it created its own dumpling (Shui Kau) which is home-made with filling like minced pork and wooden ear mushrooms.  I order luncheon pork with the dumpling and would like to say the generous size of four pork dumplings is something you can’t find downtown. At only $28, my stomach is near bursting but I still have spare space for dessert or snack.

When I stepped out of the outlet, a smell of charcoal mixed in the air that reminded me traditional barbecue squid. There is two street hawkers 50 m away with queues in front their stall. To my surprise, one of the stall is selling egg waffle ($13). 

Rather than using gas stove, the hawker cooks to order on a charcoal stove. This requires even more time control and patience. Queues are common as he only has one stove - and each order takes about 5 minutes. The wait was sure worth it as I bit into the waffle and the smell of charcoal wafted over me. Yum!

Don’t miss the Tai O donut right opposite. At only $5 per donut, Tai O Bakery has them freshly made and deep fried in front of you. It’s as big as my fist and fresh to boot. The shop is reputable for Chinese walnut cookie, sesame cookie and egg tart. Opened in 1980s, it produces authentic Chinese traditions to the public by hand. Browsing other stalls and shops is always fun but not on a Sunday afternoon when tour groups from Ngong Ping and other parts of Lantau all stop here for the souvenir/shopping.

Likewise, hotpicks like shrimp paste and salted fishes are unique culinary items and not to forget are also dried seafood. It’s the last piece of pristine land that you could trace the old days of local fishing village in Hong Kong.